Top Finalists Announced for The Originals/ Les Originaux 2017

01-Sep-2017

Launched in 2010 as part of the Saint John 225 celebrations, The Originals/Les Originaux, was a sold-out, award-winning, red carpet event held in celebration and recognition of the local arts community. Now, seven years later, the fourth edition will be held to celebrate our finest ‘original’ talent at The Originals/ Les Originaux 2017, to be held at the UNBSJ Grand Hall on Thursday, September 28th, 2017, at 7:00 p.m.

The Saint John Arts Awards: The Originals / Les Originaux is an initiative and presentation of the Saint John Community Arts Board.

As was the case for the three previous events, the community was given the opportunity to nominate artists and organizations, worthy of special recognition, in 12 different categories. Over 130 nominations were received. Those nominees were given the option to let their names stand, and submit specific information to a jury, or to decline the nomination. As with all competitions, some qualified nominees chose not to let their names stand. Once all the submissions were received, a jury comprised of members from various corners of the arts community reviewed the submissions. The jurors were: Marcia Dysart, Andrea Kicuchi, Michael Landry, Michael Molloy, Lauchlan Ough, and Michael Wennberg. Bernard Cormier, the City’s Cultural Affairs Officer, facilitated the jury process, and Carolyn Radcliffe documented the deliberations.

The top finalists in each category are listed below (the winners will be announced at the award presentations on September 28):

Emerging Artist Award: An individual artist, in any genre, who has been pursuing his/her practice for fewer than five years and is no longer a student in his/her field.Finalists: Maggie Higgins | Pamela Marie Pierce | Manami Fukuda Stokes-Rees

Visual Arts Award: An individual or group that has made a significant contribution to the visual arts.Finalists: Elma Johnston McKay | Deanna Musgrave

Film and New Media Arts Award: An individual or group who has made a significant contribution to film or new media arts.Finalists: Brian Cleveland | Jarrod R.F. Hachey | Greg Hemmings

Arts Supporter Award: A volunteer who has made a significant contribution to the arts community.Finalists: Don Mitchener | Saint John Free Public Library | Chuck Teed Popular Music Award: An individual or group that has made a significant contribution in any musical genre other than classical.Finalists: Jessica Rhaye | Elephant Skeletons | Whitewater

Classical Music Award: An individual or group that has made a significant contribution in classical music.Finalists: Hok Kwan | Robert McCausland | Andrew Miller

Literary Arts Award: An individual or group that has made a significant contribution to the literary arts.Finalists: Fog Lit Festival | Joan Hall Hovey | Bobbi-Jean MacKinnon

Performing Arts Award for Theatre: An individual or group that has made a significant contribution in theatre.Finalists: Andrea Arbour | Sandra Bell | Dean Turner

Performing Arts Award for Dance: An individual or group that has made a significant contribution in dance.Finalists: Nawal Doucette | Andrea Scott | Kelli L. Wray

Arts Organization Award: An organization that has made a significant contribution to the arts.Finalists: InterAction School of Performing Arts | Local 107.3FM | Third Space Gallery

Patron of the Arts (Business) Award: An individual or corporation, not working in the arts, who has made a significant contribution to supporting the arts. Finalists: Loch Lomond Home Hardware Building Centre | Stewart McKelvey

Lifetime Achievement Award: An individual who has demonstrated an extraordinary body of work over a significant period of time. Recipient: Peter Buckland

Those wishing to attend must register after September 14th, 2017 at www.EventBrite.ca

Attendance is limited to 200. Registration will not be activated until September 14th.

For updates on the Awards, be sure to follow ‘The Originals | Les Originaux 2012’ on Facebook @theoriginalssaintjohn or follow us on Twitter @OriginalsSJNB.

Media Inquiries

Corporate Communications City of Saint John 11th floor, City Hall (506) 649-6008saintjohn.ca